Tuesday, August 20, 2013

After tragedy strikes
the family of young Naomi Miller, her friend Rebecca Bachman does all
she can to help. But things get complicated when Rebecca's brother,
Micah, returns from a combat tour in Afghanistan. For one thing, he
chose to serve in the military even though he served as a medic and
never picked up a gun. For another, he is under the Meidung--the
shunning-- because of that and none of the Amish are permitted to speak
to him or eat with him. And finally, he is not only Rebecca's brother,
he is Naomi's husband! But how can Naomi pick up where their marriage
left off after he turned away from her and his people to enlist in the
army? How can Naomi and Micah even begin the process of healing their
relationship when he will not repent of what he has done and the Amish
will not forgive him for what he has done? Naomi despairs of ever again
having a happy married life with her husband.

But God has a way
of working on the hearts of His people--especially at Christmas time.
When an unexpected turn of events sets things right, miracles happen to
the Amish community, to the Miller family, and to Naomi and Micah,
miracles that transform everyone.

My Review

This was a sweet read, with an interesting premise. The characters angst became repetitive as time drew on in the story, and the way the plot wrapped up was a little contrived. Three stars out of five- enjoyable story, but not one I'll pick up again.

Twenty-six-year-old
Katie Macauley has placed all her hope in Hope Springs, a small town in
the 1870 Wyoming Territory. But if she wants to return home to Ireland
to make amends with her estranged family, she'll need to convince the
influential Joseph Archer to hold true to his word and keep her on his
payroll as his housekeeper despite her Irish roots. The town is caught
in an ongoing feud between the Irish and the "Reds" the frontiersmen who
would rather see all the Irish run out of town and the Irish immigrants
who are fighting to make a home for themselves in the New World. When
Joseph agrees to keep Katie on as his housekeeper, the feud erupts anew,
and Katie becomes the reluctant figurehead for the Irish townsfolk. As
the violence escalates throughout the town, Katie must choose between
the two men who have been vying for her love though only one might be
able to restore hope to her heart.

My Review

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The characters were realistic and
likeable, the romance kept me guessing, the history was eye-opening, and
the conflict intense. The only thing I didn't like was that the
storyline was not completely wrapped up and I have to wait for a
sequel...

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